Tiger Woods flashes a smile during his news conference Wednesday at the Frys.com Open.

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An upbeat Tiger Woods greeted a sparkling Wednesday morning at CordeValle Golf Club in the hills south of San Jose, where his game looked sharp from tee to green during the pro-am preceding Thursday's opening round of the Frys.com Open (Golf Channel 4-8 p.m. ET Thursday-Sunday).

Although his putter still has a bit of rust on it, Woods said he's as strong physically as he has been in years, which has allowed him to practice enough to make his new swing a secondhand thought.

"I've had a chance to practice and really work on my game … and basically just get my ball count up, get the reps in. And that's where my comfort's coming back, being able to hit shots and go out and play 36 holes a day," said Woods, who has worked on his game — on the range and the golf course and in the gym — for the past seven weeks. "That's something I hadn't done because I just hadn't had the time. I was limited to a ball count. I was limited to how many holes I could play, how long I could be standing on my leg.

"I've got my strength back. I've got the explosiveness back in the leg."

Shut down by injuries to both his left knee and left Achilles tendon, Woods has played only six full rounds of golf since the Masters. After an abbreviated comeback at The Players Championship— he withdrew after nine holes when he reinjured his left leg — Woods made another comeback at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, where he tied for 37th. The following week he missed the cut at the PGA Championship, and, having played so few events, did not qualify for the FedExCup playoffs.

This comeback, however, is different.

"When I came back (at the Bridgestone), I didn't have it," said Woods, who hasn't won a tournament in 23 months and has fallen to No. 51 in the world rankings.

"His health is much better than I've seen it," Foley said. "Basically the lead leg is better than it's been in at least three years. What he's able to do is put the reps in. People go, 'Oh the reps thing again.' But listen to any human motion expert. The thing is we're trying to get his swing to where he can hit the ball the way he wants to. And focus on it. But it takes time. And when you have so many starts and stops because you're injured and there is a lack of continuity, it's very easy for the brain to go back to its most familiar pattern.

"I think this is a new start for him. Not a comeback. Not a cameo. This is a new start in the rest of his career."

Woods will do so with a new caddie, Joe LaCava, the longtime looper for Fred Couples and most recently the bagman for Dustin Johnson. And this is the first start for Woods in a Fall Series event, which has triggered an energetic response in this neck of the Golden State. Ticket sales are expected to more than double from 30,000 last year to 70,000. Media credentials tripled — from 100 to 300. Other increases included those in parking spaces (doubled), shuttle buses, security and corporate packages. And advertising and marketing — giant billboards featuring defending champion Rocco Mediate and Woods are towering over nearby Interstate 101 — were bumped significantly.

What hasn't changed is Woods' attitude toward expectation. He is here, intent on "getting a W." And the recent course-record 62 he shot at The Medalist near his new Florida estate could bode well, practice round or not.

"I hadn't posted a low round in a long time. So that's something that felt good to do, and to be honest with you, it was pretty easy and I left a few out there," Woods said. "I've started to turn the corner. I was starting to shoot some really good rounds, a bunch of 66s and 65s, but I hadn't taken it deep. And that was fun to actually post a 62."

Featured groupings

Among his many highlights this year, UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay was the low amateur in the U.S. Open; won the Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year award; and shot a course-record, 10-under-par 60 in the Travelers Championship. Now he's paired with Tiger Woods and 2010 Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen in the first two rounds of the Frys.com Open (3:10 p.m. ET Thursday; 10:40 a.m. Friday). Defending champion Rocco Mediate plays with Kevin Na, the winner last week in Las Vegas, and Troy Matteson (10:30 a.m. Thursday; 3 p.m. Friday). And major champions Ernie Els, Angel Cabrera and Justin Leonard play at 10:40 a.m. Thursday; 3:10 p.m. Friday.

Stat of the week

577

Yards covered by Rocco Mediate's four hole-outs in last year's title run at the Frys.com Open. Mediate aced the 190-yard par-3 third hole with a 6-iron in the first round; holed out from 111 yards with a pitching wedge Friday on the par-5 15th; used a 7-iron to hole out from 160 yards Saturday at the par-4 fourth hole; then used pitching wedge from 116 yards to make eagle on the par-4 17th in the final round. Mediate won by one shot.

Hole of the week

Last year the drivable par-4 17th at CordeValle Golf Club played from shorter tees on the weekend and the pros registered nine eagles, including Rocco Mediate's final-round 2. The green, protected in front by a lake, is shaped like a bowl which causes balls to roll toward the center of the green. The hole is one of just three holes left in the chase for the Kodak Challenge $1 million winner-take-all prize. The season-long competition requires players to play at least 18 of the 30 Kodak Challenge holes. A player's lowest score relative to par on his best 18 holes wins $1 million.

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